


Paradise Nick and Paradise Jess Take On New Orleans

by DreamsOfSleep



Category: New Girl
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drunken Confessions, F/M, Fluff, New Orleans, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 07:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 4,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6844933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamsOfSleep/pseuds/DreamsOfSleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Reagan changes her mind and leaves Nick at the airport. Nick decides to take Jess with him to New Orleans instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Run Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> If you have read my other works, you know I generally don't write "fluffy" fics. However, I really liked the idea of Nick and Jess hanging out in New Orleans together. I always thought S4 of the show suffered because the writers never let Nick and Jess just hang out as friends any more, even though that was supposed to be the primary reason they broke up. I wrote a lot of short scenes of them just hanging out and getting to know each other again and pieced them together into a coherent narrative to make this current story.
> 
> This was originally a oneshot but the narrative got away from me and the word count ended up being a lot higher than I was expecting it to be. I broke it up into chapters to make it easier to navigate but I think the experience is better if you read it all in one sitting as it was originally intended to be. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Return of Paradise Nick and Paradise Jess

Nick sits in the uncomfortable plastic airport terminal chair next to his suitcase and checks his watch again for the hundredth time. _'She's just running late. She's going to be here,'_ he tells himself over and over again. His phone rings and her name appears on the screen. He answers it eagerly. 

"Reagan! Did you get stuck in traffic?" 

There is a long silence. Nick watches the other people in the airport milling around, rushing to their gates, while he waits for her response.

Finally, she speaks. "Nick...I can't. I'm sorry." She ends the call abruptly before he can say anything. He listens to the radio silence of dead air. He presses the button to end the call. He sits in the terminal holding his phone in one hand and his boarding pass in the other staring blankly out into the airport.

In that moment, he can’t think of anyone else to call but her. After three rings and just before he changes his mind, Jess picks up.

"Hi, Nick!" she says a little too brightly. "Up in the air yet?"

"She said no," he replies in a flat voice. "She changed her mind."

A brief pause as Jess digests this information and then she says, "I’m sorry, Nick." in that sincere way only she can. 

He looks at his boarding pass and is struck by a crazy idea. He blurts out, "Come to New Orleans with me, Jess." 

She takes a long pause and then she says, "…What?” 

"I could be Paradise Nick again and you could be Paradise Jess and we could be mega-chill together,” he jokes weakly.

"Nick, I can’t..." she begins. 

"Please, Jess?" He tries to keep the desperation out of his voice and fails. He closes his eyes. Then in a small voice he says, _"I need you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is a reference to the song ["Run Away With Me"](https://youtu.be/jVwtGU3KOro) from the musical "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown."
> 
> Alternative chapter title: ["Come Fly With Me"](https://youtu.be/HmQq6yLe2ww) by Frank Sinatra. 
> 
> I thought "Run Away With Me" was more fitting since that is more of a desperate plea which fits Nick's state of mind, rather than the invitation that the Sinatra song intends to be.


	2. Leaving On A Jet Plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Jess fly to New Orleans.

When he sees Jess reading a thick stack of travel guides on the plane, Nick thinks, _'Typical Jess. Of course she would bring every single guide book ever written with her when she goes on vacation.'_ He shakes his head with affectionate exasperation.

He feels guilty for making Jess take off work at her new job for three months. Jess waves him off. "Genevieve supports my _'bold initiative to go find myself,'_ " she says while using the appropriate air quotes. "She told me to write a lesson plan to teach that to the kids when I get back." 

"You’ll innovate the Feelings Farm," he jokes weakly. She smiles at him before returning to her book. Her presence is comforting. He’s glad she’s here. He wishes he could reach over and hold her hand. Instead, he closes his eyes and says, “Thanks for coming with me, Jess.” He can hear her pleased hum radiating out from the seat next to him even with his eyes closed. He tries to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is a reference to the John Denver song ["Leaving On A Jet Plane."](https://youtu.be/19ToC8pQrCY)


	3. Heartbreak Hotel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Jess arrive at the hotel.

Their hotel is located in the French Quarter, a few blocks from Bourbon Street. It is a quaint creole townhouse with authentic New Orleans architecture and wrought-iron balconies. It exudes charm and character. Jess's delighted gasp when he points it out to her from the taxi makes Nick smile.

When they reach their room, Nick collapses backwards onto the twin bed closest to the door. He props himself up on his elbows and looks at Jess standing near the door of the room by their luggage. She is wringing her hands slightly. 

She says in a small voice, "I can just go sightseeing by myself if you want to stay here in the room." 

He thinks about it… _sitting around for three months pining for Reagan and getting drunk on tiny bottles of overpriced liquor from the minibar while watching bad Lifetime movies on the hotel TV_... and feels pathetic. 

"Nah, Jess, I’ll come with you," he tells her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is a reference to the Elvis song ["Heartbreak Hotel"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9BLw4W5KU8), which reflects Nick's current mood.
> 
> Nick and Jess's hotel is a fictionalized cross between [Hotel Villa Convento](http://www.bestneworleanshotels.com/hotel-villa-convento.html) and [Hotel Royal](http://www.bestneworleanshotels.com/hotel-royal.html), actual hotels in New Orleans. I wanted to keep them on the French Quarter so they could do fun touristy things and give this fic an authentic New Orleans feel.


	4. Tourists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Jess go sightseeing in New Orleans.

Every day, Jess wakes up early and plans their itinerary. They go do terrible touristy things that Nick would normally hate, but he can’t help enjoying them with her infectious enthusiasm there next to him. 

They go on historical tours and stroll through museums. He listens to her ramble on about the significance of Louisiana history and explain pretentious modern art to him in her teacher voice and he doesn't hate it.

They spend hours browsing local vintage bookstores. She buys stacks of used books by famous southern authors and they spend afternoons sitting in local cafes reading and drinking cafe au lait. He thinks about starting his next zombie novel.

He lets her drag him to a French film festival once. Halfway through he gives up trying to wrap his mind around the plot of the movies. But he still enjoys watching her watch them, her face backlit by the screen. 

They take a streetcar up to the Riverwalk Marketplace in the business district so she can buy gifts for Cece, Schmidt, and Winston. He helps her pick out some vintage shotglasses for Cece, a new French press for Schmidt, and a bird shirt for Winston. 

He takes her to the Audubon Zoo. He argues with her about which animals he could take in a fight. She takes copious amounts of photos to send to Cece. Her eyes light up when he surprises her with a snocone.

They go to a crawfish boil. They eat crawfish with messy butter and barbecue sauce. He looks over at her with sauce on her face and her messy hands and thinks it's ridiculous how pretty she still looks. When she catches him staring at her, she sticks her tongue out at him. "Mature," he says, right before he sticks his tongue out at her. 

They go walking in the garden district and look at historic mansions. He thinks about Russell and about being a guy that could buy her the whole world. He settles for buying her a gelato at the fancy French ice cream shop on the next street.

He thinks he wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are all things that you can actually do in New Orleans. For those interested in more location details, New Orleans is split into 4 main districts:
> 
>   * French Quarter: heart of Mardi Gras, includes Bourbon Street
>   * Central Business District: includes the Arts & Warehouse District, Riverwalk Marketplace, SuperDome
>   * Garden District: includes historical homes, gardens, Audubon Zoo, bookstores
>   * Metairie: suburb near the airport, includes famous restaurants that serve authentic New Orleans cuisine
> 



	5. Sick As A Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick gets sick in New Orleans and Jess takes care of him.

Nick gets really sick the second month they are there.

 _'Bad shellfish,'_ he thinks.

He feels terrible when he barfs all over Jess's new shoes as she tries to get him into bed. He apologies profusely to her. 

She wrinkles her nose at her wrecked shoes but says good-naturedly, “Just make me an old-fashioned when you’re better and we’re even.”

He tells her to go sightseeing without him but she refuses. She stays by him in bed and feeds him clear soup and milky tea. She makes sure he doesn’t throw up all over himself and strokes his hair the way his mom used to when he was a kid and stayed home sick from school.

When his fever gets really bad and he can no longer resist the urge, he allows himself the luxury of holding her hand. She falls asleep at night sitting in bed next to him, her hand in his. 

\---

He feels better after a week. He makes her an old-fashioned and apologizes again for ruining her shoes. He doesn’t stop holding her hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title has the double meaning of Nick being physically sick but also "love sick." Nick and Jess are slowly starting to rekindle their relationship and he is in the puppy love phase where he just wants to hold her hand.


	6. Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Jess spend a night out on the town.

Nick insists on getting all dressed up and taking Jess out to a fancy dinner to pay her back for taking care of him while he was sick.

"You don’t have to do that, Nick," she says.

"I want to," he says firmly. His voice doesn’t allow for any argument. 

\---

Nick puts on the dark blue suit that Schmidt gave him and it reminds him of their first date. _‘Risky,’_ he thinks, but when he sees Jess in her black, knee-length evening dress, hair all done up like Audrey Hepburn, he doesn’t care. She smiles at him before she takes his arm. 

He takes her to a jazz club for dinner and dancing. For a short while, he lets himself pretend they're a couple again and he’s taking her out on a real date.

\----

Afterwards, they go for drinks at a local bar. 

"Let me be your wingwoman, Nick!” she says brightly. 

He laughs at her and pats her hand. “You don’t have to do that, Jess.”

“C’mon Nick,” she whines. “How am I supposed to get better at not being your cooler, if you don’t let me practice? Plus," she jokes, “I have to pay you back for getting me Bearclaw’s phone number.”

Nick thinks guiltily about how he switched Andy’s phone number on purpose because he had been jealous of their instant connection. With a sigh, he relents. “Okay, Jess, you can be my wingwoman."

\---

He can tell the redhead is into him by the way she keeps finding excuses to touch him and laughing uproariously at all his lame jokes. He looks over at Jess and she shoots him a thumbs up. 

“So…” the redhead says, “Are you two together?”

“Nah…we’re just friends,” he says. 

She pulls out a pen from her purse and rolls up his sleeve. She writes her hotel room and phone number on his arm with a messy scrawl. “If you’re not busy later…” she says with a wink before kissing his cheek and sashaying away. He goes back to sit next to Jess. 

“That looks like it went well…” she teases. She looks away from him. She hesitates but then she works up the courage to say, “If you need the room later, I’ll just go sleep in the hotel lounge.” 

“Nah,” he says, “She had a boyfriend.” 

Jess hides her relief by taking a swig of her drink before saying to him, “I’m sorry, Nick. Let me try again…” She looks around the bar scanning for other attractive women. 

"It’s okay, Jess," he says. “Want to do shots?”

\---

He can tell the guy is into her by the way he keeps touching her arm. He resists the urge to go over there and break them up. When she goes to the restroom, the guy comes over to talk to him. 

“Hi, Nick. I’m Dave. She said you were friends.” 

They shake hands. The man looks like a cross between Ryan and Dr. Sam.

"You think I have a chance, man?” Dave asks in a hopeful tone. 

“Nah. She’s just being a flirt. She’s got a boyfriend,” Nick blurts out. He feels immediately guilty. 

“Dang. All the good ones are taken," Dave jokes. "I could marry that girl.” 

_'So could I,’_ Nick thinks to himself. 


	7. Truth Or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Jess play "Truth or Dare" and make drunken confessions.

They wake up one day to a torrential downpour outside their hotel window. It rains for three days straight. Nick knows Jess is disappointed that they have to waste so much of their trip indoors in their hotel room, even though she tries to hide it. He raids the minibar to cheer her up. He hands her a bottle of peach schnapps. "Let’s get shitfaced,” he says to her with a grin. 

\---

It's late in the evening and they are sitting side by side in her bed surrounded by empty bottles of tiny liquor. Nick is feeling loose-limbed and comfortable, right in the perfect stage of 'happy drunkenness.’ The lights are off in the hotel room but the TV gives the room a gentle bluish glow. The volume on the TV set is turned down low providing a gentle background hum. It has stopped raining outside.

He likes the way Jess keeps leaning her head on his shoulder, the way the side of their legs are sitting flush together. He likes not having to pretend he doesn’t want to touch her like he does when they are at home. Her hands are tangled with his in his lap. He can see her eyelids droop as she fights sleep and he gets the urge to keep her awake with him a little longer.

"Truth or dare?" he asks her.

"Dare," she replies.

\---

He dares her to go skinny-dipping in the hotel pool. “Okay, but no peeking!” she wags her index finger at him. He crosses his heart. She strips down in the bathroom and then goes outside to the roof courtyard in just her hotel robe. She scans the empty pool deck. No one else is up here at this time of night. She makes him hold a towel and an extra robe for her in the pool house on the opposite side of the pool deck. At the edge of the pool she drops her robe and takes a running leap. She does a cannonball into the water and swims the length of the pool before resurfacing on the other side and racing to the safety of the pool house. He catches her and wraps the towel around her. They are both laughing hysterically. 

“I can’t believe I just did that!” she says breathlessly. 

“Who knew you had it in you, Jessica Day?" he teases.

He turns his back to her to give her some privacy while she puts on her robe. When he turns back around, she is tying the sash. 

“Not Jessica Day,” she replies, “Paradise Jess who is mega-chill!”

She yells the last sentence while raising her arms and running out of the pool house spreading her beach towel behind her like a cape. He laughs and takes off after her.

\---

He finds her on the other side of the roof courtyard. She has scaled the low railing of the roof's courtyard fence and is sitting on the outer ledge with her legs dangling down over the edge of the building. Suddenly he can't breathe. He feels his chest grow tight and his heart race. He feels the pinpricks of anxiety over his entire body.

"It's so pretty," she says in awe looking out at the view below her.

He tries to keep his voice neutral. "Come back over on this side of the fence, Jess."

She is taken aback by the look on his face. "What's wrong, Nick? Scared of heights?"

“No one is scared of heights, Jess....They’re scared of falling."

"I won’t fall, Nick," she says with absolute certainty.

"You don’t know that…Come back on this side of the fence."

"I dare you to come sit up here with me, Nick."

"I don’t want to play that game with you right now, Jess."

"There’s nothing to be afraid of, Nick....Just sit up here with me for five minutes?"

He never could say no to her. He climbs over the fence and approaches the edge of the roof cautiously. The view is indeed spectacular. The city is lit up like a giant carnival against the deep midnight blue of the night sky. He can make out the shapes of boats traveling lazily along the inky water of the Mississippi. The skyline of the city is reflected in a rainbow of lights at the river's edge. It feels like he can see for miles. But all he can think about is how there is no safety net below. A slight wind or a wrong step could send her tumbling into the abyss. 

After five minutes, he climbs back over the fence. She follows him and he helps her down on the other side. When she hops down from the fence he hugs her tightly against him. He feels the anxiety leave his body and his heart rate drop back down to normal. 

She giggles. "See? I’m fine, Nick."

"Let’s not do that again, Jess," he says seriously.

"Okay," she whispers back. "But I’m glad you got to see it once." 

_'She always was braver than me,'_ Nick thinks. When he lets go of her, she takes his hand and leads him back to their room.

\---

They are back to sitting side by side on her bed drinking tiny bottles of liquor from the minibar.

"Truth or dare?" she asks him.

"Truth."

"What did you really think of all of the boyfriends I have had since we broke up?"

The hum of alcohol in his blood loosens his tongue and makes him brave enough to tell the full truth instead of make up some half-truth. “I hated all of them, every single guy you’ve dated. They were never good enough for you. Especially Ryan. I hated Ryan the whole time you were together,” he confesses. 

“You did?” she turns to look at him in surprise. “You never said anything.”

He turns his head so he can look her in the eyes. “I was trying to be your friend. If I said I hated every single guy you dated, you would just write me off as the jealous ex and never talk to me again.” 

“Why did you hate Ryan?”

“He told you he loved you and then he hurt you, Jess. He said he was serious and then he bailed on you. He didn’t even ask you to go to England with him when he got his new job.” 

She smiles wryly, “I need a guy that shows up, right?” 

He turns his face away from her and looks straight ahead. “Right.” 

He suddenly blurts out, “I _was_ jealous of Ryan though. He had all your attention and you told him you loved him and we never spent any time together any more. Not like we used to even before we started dating. You hurt me when you told him you loved him. I knew you were going to fall in love with someone else but I still wanted you to talk to me like you used to. We said we wanted to be friends when we broke up, but it was always different after." He pauses. "Can’t be friends with your ex," he says grimly.

“I’m sorry,” she says. Her hand reaches up to touch his cheek.

“S’okay," he says with his eyes closed. 

\---

"Truth or dare?" he asks her.

"Truth."

"Do you regret being in a relationship with me? Do you wish we had always just been friends?”

"Never," she says firmly. "Even if I knew then that we would break up, I still would have said 'all in.' Just because something ends doesn’t mean you regret it happened. I’m glad we were a couple. I’m glad we got a chance to try for each other. I wouldn’t take it back."

Her words warm his whole body from his head all the way down to his toes and her sweet voice in his head is the last thing he hears before he drifts off. They fall asleep in her bed with their heads leaning together, their hands entwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A really challenging chapter for me to write. I knew I was going to use "Truth or Dare" to get Nick and Jess to open up to each other, but I had some trouble figuring out what the "truths" and "dares" would be.
> 
> At first, I just had some "truths" that touched on Ryan and Reagan but it didn't feel significant enough to push Nick and Jess forward towards each other.
> 
> I added the Jess pool dare scene next to reflect the gradual transition from physical intimacy to emotional intimacy, but only having that dare made it feel uneven since Nick didn't get to do a dare. I liked the idea of Jess pushing him to face his fears through a dare since it's such an integral part of her character that she makes Nick brave.
> 
> The "truth" with Nick asking about their relationship was the last thing I wrote for this section and I thought it closed everything up nicely. It showed the level of emotional intimacy Nick and Jess reached that night and left the door open for a possible reconciliation between the characters.


	8. Hold Me Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess has a nightmare and Nick comforts her.

One night Nick hears Jess scream and it startles him awake. He tries to jump out of bed but gets tangled in his sheets. He falls hard out of bed onto the hotel floor.

“What is it, Jess?!” he yells, looking around in terror. 

“Sorry,” she says sheepishly. “I had a nightmare.” 

He can still feel his heart racing. His right hand clutches at the left side of his chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” He looks at the clock: 3AM. He looks over at her frightened tear-stained face. “You going to be able to get back to sleep?” She shakes her head. 

They order room service and watch bad movies sitting in her twin bed until her eyes droop down. He can still see her eyes moving beneath the lids like she’s dreaming. He remembers how when she used to have nightmares when they were dating that she would always want to be the ‘little spoon’. She said it made her feel safe, like all the monsters in her nightmares couldn’t get her because Nick would fight them off. He doesn’t think about it, just curls himself around her back and drifts off to sleep with his hand on her hip.

\---

In the morning he wakes up alone in her bed. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and goes to brush his teeth and take a shower. When he exits the bathroom, he finds her back in the room with beignets and black coffee. They don’t talk about it, but the next time she has a nightmare, she crawls into his bed and he spoons her against him without her having to ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title references the lyric from the Elvis song ["I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKfLjAfGqRs).
> 
> This chapter continues the strengthening in Nick and Jess's emotional bond. Closeness can refer to both physical and emotional distance. Their physical and emotional intimacy starts to converge more and more.


	9. I Think About It All The Time

She tries to wake him up at 6AM to go see an art exhibit.

He pulls the covers over his head but he can still feel her presence standing at the side of his bed with her hands on her hips tapping her foot, glaring down at him.

Mischievously, he throws off the covers and grabs her arm. "C’mere," he says, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her back down onto the bed. "Just be mega-chill…" 

He can feel her laughter through her whole body. He lets her go and they lie next to each other in his bed looking into each other’s faces. Laughter makes the sides of her eyes crinkle up. He brushes her hair back from her face and thinks about kissing her. 

After a few moments, he turns away from her and gets out of bed. He gets ready to go with her to the art museum. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title references a line in one of my one fics, the oneshot ["Open Door"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6834814).
> 
> The line is a throwback to the "Mars Landing" episode when Jess asks Nick if he thinks about the future of their relationship.
> 
> When it's with Jess, Nick knows a kiss isn't just a kiss to him no matter how badly he wants to kiss her. When Nick Miller is in, he is all in. He doesn't want to kiss Jess if their relationship isn't going to be real so you see how he gets a little physically and emotionally distant towards Jess in this chapter.


	10. Last Hurrah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Jess both consider the end of their trip.

A few days before they have to go home, Nick takes Jess on an evening riverboat cruise so they can see the fireworks on the river.

He takes her dancing one last time. She puts her head on his shoulder as they waltz across the room.

With her eyes closed she says, “Thanks for asking me to come, Nick.” 

“Anytime, Day,” he replies with a lump in his throat. 

\---

The night before they have to take a plane back to LA, Jess doesn’t know why she feels like crying.

She thinks to herself, _'If this is all we will ever have again, I'll be happy. One last hurrah. I was stupid and missed my chance with him. I cared so much about all the stupid superficial things in my 'life plan' that I forgot that he loved me.'_

_'I hope he's happy too. I hope he finds someone who will make him happy.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is pretty Nick-centric so I decided to get more into Jess's headspace and her thoughts as the trip is ending, which dovetails nicely with Nick's feelings.


	11. All My Stars Aligned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Paradise Nick and Paradise Jess Became Real

They are both quiet on the plane, lost in their own thoughts. When they land, Jess grabs her carry-on and starts to walk down the aisle. Nick grabs her wrist, pulling her back. She turns around to look at him, to look up into his face. His eyes are dark and crazy intense. She has only seen that look on his face once before, the first time he kissed her after an ill-fated game of True American. He had given her that look right before he pulled her in and kissed her like his life depended on it. She had felt his desperate need for her radiating out into every single cell in her body. His hands in her hair and all over her back pressing her to him. Him drowning in her but refusing to come up for air because it meant she got to be _his_ a little longer before he had to give her back to someone else. He had blown her mind then and changed everything she thought she knew about him. And just when she least expects it, Nick Miller comes in and turns her whole world upside down all over again.

"Let's get married," he says.

"You're crazy..." Jess says. She laughs unsurely, trying to lighten the mood.

"I’m serious,” he says with conviction.

"You don’t want to marry me, Nick," she says with a sad smile. 

"Yeah I do…" he insists. "I’ve wanted to for a long time, but I didn’t know how to tell you."

Jess is stunned. "Nick..." she starts to say. She can feel the tears welling up behind her eyes.

"Wait..." he says. He puts a hand up to make her stop talking. "I just have to get this all out at once or I won't be able to...and I want you to know how I feel."

She nods, waiting for him to continue. Her eyes are shiny with unshed tears. A few slip out from her eyes and she wipes them away with her fingers.

He breathlessly says, "I want to hang out with you every second of every day. I want to go to sleep with you at night and wake up with you each morning and tell you everything, all my secrets. I don’t want to pretend I don’t think about kissing you. I want to be able to reach out and touch you whenever I want. And I don’t want to be able to do those things only when I'm Paradise Nick and you're Paradise Jess on vacation in some made up place, some made up time. I want this to be real, something that happens when we’re just regular Jess Day and Nick Miller living our regular boring lives and not just on vacation when we're pretending to be other people.” 

He pauses, his whole body trembling with the intensity of his words and his feelings. He takes a shaky breath. He reaches out both of his hands to cup her face staring deep into her eyes. He needs her to hear him. “I don’t want to go home and pretend we don’t love each other. Breaking up with you was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. I still love you and I want to get married."

He pulls out the ring he bought for her the day after they broke up and gets down on one knee in the middle of the airplane aisle.

She's full-on ugly crying now.

She says yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is a reference to the St. Vincent song ["All My Stars Aligned"](https://youtu.be/0mk9_Ndly2I). I like the idea of Nick and Jess finally being in sync enough to have a relationship with each other, everything lining up in the universe so they can be together.
> 
> There is an irony in the song's lyrics that I like. It is only when Nick and Jess accept each other's flaws will the "stars align" in the universe so they can have a real relationship:
> 
> _There are no signs_  
>  _There are no stars aligned_  
>  _No amulets not a charm_  
>  _To bring you back to my arms_  
>  _There's just this human heart_  
>  _That's built with this human flaw_  
>  _What was your question_  
>  _Love is the answer_
> 
> There is also a St. Vincent song called ["Marry Me"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKu96AntW4) but I thought that was a little too on the nose and I didn't want to spoil the ending. :) Hope you enjoyed this fic!
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr if you want to geek out about New Girl: [dreamsofsleepingin.tumblr.com](https://dreamsofsleepingin.tumblr.com/)  
> I post author's notes, behind-the-scenes commentary, New Girl meta discussion posts, and sneak peeks of what I'm working on writing.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Last Tango in New Orleans](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6962542) by [DreamsOfSleep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamsOfSleep/pseuds/DreamsOfSleep)




End file.
